The ATSB has found that an undetected flaw, and the subsequent failure of a critical main engine component, led to the bulk carrier Enterprise being disabled in Bass Strait on 10 July 2006 and drifting for nearly three days. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation has found that a microscopic flaw led to the failure of a main engine gudgeon pin. The investigation also found that the engine manufacturer did not provide sufficient guidance for monitoring the fatigue life of gudgeon pins and that the planning and execution of maintenance on critical items of equipment was inadequate…

The ATSB has found that a collision between a freight train and motor car occurred because the flashing lights, bells and boom gates failed to operate as the train approached the level crossing. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has today released its final report into the investigation of a collision that occurred at the Chapple Street level crossing at Kalgoorlie in Western Australia on 14 May 2007. At the time of the collision the Chapple Street level crossing was controlled by flashing lights, bells and boom gates. The investigation established that the level crossing protection…

Failure to keep a proper lookout, a faulty radio and fatigue resulted in a collision between two vessels off the coast of Western Australian on 18 January 2001, according to an investigation report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau today. The report states that the collision occurred at 0435 local time, 14 miles off the coast when the rock lobster fishing vessel, Lipari, struck the side of the Hong Kong flag bulk carrier, Handymariner. The ship sustained no damage in the incident but the fishing vessel was holed on the starboard bow above the waterline. There were no injuries…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released its final report after an almost two-year investigation of the systemic factors behind the groundings of Ansett B767 aircraft. While Ansett has ceased flying, the ATSB continued its investigation because of the importance of the issues involved for the safety of 'Class A' aircraft around the world. The ATSB found that in addition to errors and omissions by individuals in Ansett, there were deeper system and resource weaknesses in the airline group and shortcomings by the US regulator of the aircraft type (the FAA) both of which CASA was…

The first ATSB graduates from the recently accredited Diploma of Transport Safety Investigation were presented with their awards on 18 October 2002. Senior ATSB investigators Alan Stray, Kit Filor and Kerryn Macaulay received their Diplomas after successfully completing the streamlined assessment process aimed at recognising prior learning and current competency. Awards were also made to 12 staff who successfully completed a Certificate Level 4 course in Assessment and Workplace Training. This qualifies them to train and assess at the Diploma level. The awards are the first since the Bureau…

The Executive Director of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has today authorised the re-opening of the investigation into the crash of Whyalla Airlines VH-MZK. This is to enable the ATSB to seek the assistance of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to conduct further testing of the MZK left engine crankshaft, which is currently in the US, including destructive testing at the site of the fracture. The ATSB did not undertake such destructive testing in its original investigation because the detailed tests that were conducted indicated no crankshaft material problems and the…

The ATSB's final investigation report into an aircraft accident near Willowbank in Queensland last year, resulting in five deceased persons and two seriously injured survivors, found that the aircraft's performance prior to impacting a large tree and crashing into a dam was consistent with an engine power loss. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau report states that technical examination of the Cessna 206's engine and its associated components did not reveal anomalies with the potential to have individually contributed to the partial engine power loss and loss of climb performance about 100…

The ATSB has found that four crew members who were injured on board the bulk carrier Shirane on 2 April 2007 were not aware of similar previous boiler explosions (flashbacks) which could have fore warned them. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation also found that the ship's crew were not aware of all of the hazards associated with servicing the boiler burner and that the personal protective equipment they were using did not provide them with adequate protection. On the morning of 2 April 2007, Shirane was off Newcastle, New South Wales and the ship's third engineer had been…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) today released a report on the circumstances of a serious incident where a fare-paying scheduled passenger flight encountered microburst windshear near Brisbane last year. Windshear is a change in wind speed and/or direction, including updrafts and downdrafts. An aircraft may experience a significant deterioration in flight performance when exposed to windshear of sufficient intensity or duration. On 18 January 2001, a Boeing 737-476 aircraft (VH-TJX) encountered microburst windshear at 7.29am while conducting a go-around from runway 19 at…

On 18 November 2001, a ballast tank of the Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier Nego Kim exploded killing eight crew members. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has found that the explosion occurred when volatile paint fumes inside the inadequately ventilated tank were ignited. The ATSB released the results of its investigation today. The report states: The explosion occurred at 4.40pm on Sunday 18 November 2001, when the ship was anchored inside Dampier port limits waiting to load a cargo of scrap metal. Prior to the explosion, eight crew members had spent two hours…